# "If you just e-mail a moderator"... **URL:** \ **Category:** About This Message Board\ **Created:** [October 18, 2004, 1:21pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/if-you-just-e-mail-a-moderator/269818 "2004-10-18T13:21:00Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 7\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Polycarp](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/82dd89/32.png) [@Polycarp](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Polycarp)\ **Post date:** [October 18, 2004, 1:21pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/if-you-just-e-mail-a-moderator/269818/1 "2004-10-18T13:21:00Z")
The thread title is the preferred way, according to staff, to deal with a problematic situation, especially in circumstances that you or another might prefer not be public. However, what it does **not** take into account is the fact that staff is human, with susceptibility to illness, problems in real life that interfere with board work, or even something as simple as being away at a rustic cabin in the mountains for a week. Staff will themselves arrange for coverage – but they hardly get each other’s e-mails. **Lynn** ’s current illness, **Alphagene** being tied up after 9/11… examples are probably many. I know on occasion staff make it a point to say “mail more than one staff member, so you’ll be certain someone gets it in reasonable time” – **Dex** has been especially good about pointing this out – but is there any sort of policy that can be made public about this – who to include as backup, other than, in the appropriate cases, the other mods of the affected forum; how to doublecheck on whether someone’s gotten a report and chosen not to act on it (“I dunno if this guy’s trolling, but I chose to report it and let you make the call on whether he is or not”); what to do, rather than open a Pit thread, if you feel that a moderator made a bad call in a given situation; etc. It occurs to me that it might be possible to tweak VBB – within the existing programming – so that Private Messages are permissible only to and from staff, which would make the process of reporting problems and receiving such reports slightly easier to deal with, and provide a simple means for feedback. If that’s not within the realm of possibility, some suggestions for members at large on how to most effectively handle dealing with staff when ya gotta for one reason or another would be useful. ---
**Author:** ![Bosda\_Di\_Chi\_of\_Tricor](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/bosda_di_chi_of_tricor/32/16845_2.png) [@Bosda\_Di\_Chi\_of\_Tricor](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Bosda_Di_Chi_of_Tricor)\ **Post date:** [October 18, 2004, 2:41pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/if-you-just-e-mail-a-moderator/269818/2 "2004-10-18T14:41:49Z")
> [@](#): > > If that’s not within the realm of possibility, some suggestions for members at large on how to most effectively handle dealing with staff when ya gotta for one reason or another would be useful. I’ve always found that groveling, sexual favors and animal sacrifice help. Bribery I reserve for the Celestial Master. 🙂 ---
**Author:** ![C\_K\_Dexter\_Haven](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/b2d939/32.png) [@C\_K\_Dexter\_Haven](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/C_K_Dexter_Haven)\ **Post date:** [October 18, 2004, 2:49pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/if-you-just-e-mail-a-moderator/269818/3 "2004-10-18T14:49:22Z")
The best approach is to report to the Moderators of a forum. For back up, you could email all Administrators. As **Polycarp** says, us Moderators is only human beans. (Well, most of us.) We’re not online 24/7, and we do have things life lives, vacations, business, family that distract us. So, depending on how fast you need action, the best bet is to email several of us. I don’t know whether the system can be so modified (without any work on the part of the techs), we’ll look into it. ---
**Author:** ![Una\_Persson](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/una_persson/32/346_2.png) [@Una\_Persson](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Una_Persson)\ **Post date:** [October 18, 2004, 4:42pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/if-you-just-e-mail-a-moderator/269818/4 "2004-10-18T16:42:16Z")
Just a general note - people have started to mail me about correcting typos (in posts), moving threads, and other SDMB-related issues involving Comments on Staff Reports. I’ve even been mailed on some GQ queries. I and anyone else that says “SDSAB” under their names have no Moderating abilities on the SDMB. Therefore, while can I sympathize, drink a chicken blood and Diet Coke, and pray to Baron Samedi that your problem is resolved - I am not allowed to fix your posts/threads for you. ---
**Author:** ![Chronos](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/chronos/32/134_2.png) [@Chronos](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Chronos)\ **Post date:** [October 18, 2004, 6:36pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/if-you-just-e-mail-a-moderator/269818/5 "2004-10-18T18:36:18Z")
> [@](#): > > We’re not online 24/7, and we do have things life lives, vacations, business, family that distract us. Whoa, you kept your life? Does Ed know? I thought that all Staff were required to give up our lives when we joined. That was what the coffee mug was paying for, right? ---
**Author:** ![Ukulele\_Ike](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/u/df788c/32.png) [@Ukulele\_Ike](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ukulele_Ike)\ **Post date:** [October 18, 2004, 6:44pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/if-you-just-e-mail-a-moderator/269818/6 "2004-10-18T18:44:50Z")
Disrespect not the Mug. ---
**Author:** ![Q.E.D](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/q/51bf81/32.png) [@Q.E.D](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Q.E.D)\ **Post date:** [October 18, 2004, 6:49pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/if-you-just-e-mail-a-moderator/269818/7 "2004-10-18T18:49:26Z")
> [@Ukulele Ike](#): > > Disrespect not the Mug. Pffft! Mug, schmu… _POOF_